French Success

So what did we learn?

French wine is clearly loved in Vancouver, even if its sales represent less than five per cent of the total market. You can chalk that up to a dreadful job of marketing in an age of customer engagement. With few exceptions the French seldom venture west of Quebec and/or Ontario but when they do appear, as was the case last week, they bring wine to die for, or at least stand in long lines for.

The strategy of selling terroir and appellations, more or less to the highest bidder, rather than fight the throngs of fighting varietal wine drinkers, works, as does the magic of the names: Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Alsace and now joined by the Loire and the Languedoc-Roussillon.

What is interesting is while the French were busy in the United States, Russia, Japan and China reaching even higher status and prices, they were improving their wines each generation. The Sancerre and Pouilly Fume offerings from Loire producer Joseph Mellot are but one tasting-room example of how farthe French have come. At one point during the Trade Day tastings, you could not see a single French booth due to the long lines of retailers and restaurant folk waiting patiently to sip the wine. Terroir, freshness, food-friendly, savoir fair and the powerful notion of French food seemed all consumers required to jump on the bandwagon.

Other thoughts:

• Moving the gala auction dinner to Saturday night proved to be a huge success for the folks at Bard on the Beach. Champagne Taittinger's Mikael Falkman poured his delicious Brut and crossed paths with Canuck owner Francesco Aquilini. By the time Falkman's boss Clovis Taittinger arrived later in theweek, the pair was headed to a Canuck private box to discover some NHL hockey and discuss the mysteries of their famed Comte to Champagne Blanc de Blancs.
• I learned that corks are making a comeback, at least in Europe and the United States. Everyone was talking Diam corks said to be guaranteed to be freeof TCA (2, 4, 6-trichloroanisole). The cork industry has pulled up its socks in the last decades and while its is hardly an objective source, the Cork Quality Council reports TCA levels are now 81-per-cent lower compared with levels foundin 2001, based on the testing of more than 10 million corks. Be that as it may, I'm not sure women, who buy the majority of wine, are all that interested in going back to corkscrews.
• The big news of the week was the naming of Australia as the theme country for the 2015 festival. The category is currently in free fall, most of which has been self-inflicted, aided and a betted by a retailers geared to the cheapest and lowest common denominator. The success of Yellow Tail Shiraz set the bar at $12, using a sweetish, red wine, made from grapes grown just about anywhere. As Yellow Tail expanded its market share, others followed worldwide, leaving us with a vicious circle of cheap, sweet red wines that now dominate store shelves at the entry level.

To be sure, some Australia producers played the brand card to perfection in the early 2000s obliterating California and Chile's market share by selling "shiraaaz" using koala bears, kangaroos, surf boards, bomerangs, Uggs and didgeridoos. The flavour of the decade eventually flamed out and faced with over-production ,drought and a strong currency, Oz producers now find themselves pretty much looking up at most of the wine world. But that was then and 2015 is now.

Australia has the wine and, more important, the regions to climb thehill again. They also have the winemakers, vineyard management and moxie. It should be a very different Australia that returns to Vancouver in 2015 and one focused on smaller regions and producers making fine wine. They may even look a little bit like France. Did I mention those lines?

Mitolo Jester Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, McLaren Vale, South Australia

Price $25 | Score 88/100

UPC 836974000100

Jester always contains about 20-per-cent air-dried grapes al la Amarone, which lends it a slightly lifted (volatile) nose of raisiny black fruit. The technique is intended to plump up the mid-palate of this coolish vintage. The nose is savoury/cedary mix of smoky mulberry and black licorice notes flecked with resin and bits of spice. Grilled sausages and cheese pizzas are a match.

Renacer Punto Final Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, Mendoza, Argentina

Price $16 | Score 87/100

UPC: 098709086906

Smoky resiny vanilla,coffee grinds nose with red fruit, spice and a touch of green pepper. A leaner, fresher style cabernet with savoury, minty red fruit flavours and touch of resin in the back end. Fairly warm but with some supporting acidity to keep itbalanced. Good for the price and best served with grilled meats or mushroom pasta dishes

Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Quartage 2009, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Price $27 | Score 88/100

UPC: 853065000139

Another fine effort. Look for a light coffee, meaty, peppery, cassis/blackberry nose with bits of tobacco, resin and tea. Round, full, juicy, slightly chunky palate with peppery, rooty, blackberry, licorice, coffee, cassis, prune and herb flavours with some black olive and taron the finish. Good solid fruit and concentration for current drinking. Lambchops are the ticket here.

Eve Chardonnay 2012, Columbia Valley, Washington, United States

Price $18 | Score 86/100

UPC: 184745000201

Light green apple, floral, pear and grassy aromas. Fresh, round, slightly oily and sweet palate with baked apple, pear skin, butter and honey flavours. Easy, sipping, attractive style of chardonnay forparty guests.

Lomas del Valle Pinot Noir 2013, Valle de Casablanca, Region de Aconcagua, Chile

Price $15 | Score 86/100

UPC: 007804614590277

Much cleaner nose this year, albeit cool and rootywith carrot top notes, spice, twigs and red fruits. Cool brooding, juicy redfruit flavours with a touch of celery salt. Tight cool, spicy, smoky, rooty, cool, red-fruited pinot that needs some grilled protein to support its lean cool demeanour.

Casa Silva Doña Dominga Shiraz Single Vineyard El Rebaño 2010, Valle del Colchagua, Chile

Price $13.25 | Score 85/100

UPC: 688438000313

Fresh, open, savoury, herbaceous nose with bits of blueberries, cedar and cracked black pepper. The attack is similar with smooth round menthol red-fruit flavours flecked with cedar and light tannins. Easy to drink but expect plenty of that Chilean bay leaf/mint character throughout but with more shiraz character than previous versions. Best with simply prepared grilled meat dishes.